WATCH: A strike has been averted at the Edith Cavell Care Centre. Workers were set to walk off the job, but a last-minute deal came together. Sarolta Saskiw reports.
LETHBRIDGE – It was an eleventh-hour deal that could not have come at a better time.
One hundred and twenty-one nurses and support staff at the Edith Cavell Care Centre are breathing a sigh of relief, as the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees reached a tentative agreement with their owner, Chantelle Management.
Talks had been ongoing since October 2014, but the two sides were unable to reach a deal, even after a mediator was brought to the table.
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In May the union took a strike vote and employees were ready to walk off the job at noon on Thursday, but late Wednesday night the management group gave the AUPE an offer they could not refuse.
“They were thrilled,” said Carrie-Lynn Rusznak, union vice president. “I was still getting calls this morning saying ‘I can’t believe it’s true, we’re not going to have to leave,’ so I’m excited for both the workers as well as the families that have loved ones inside the building.”
Even though a tentative agreement has been reached, the AUPE’s claim that Chantelle Management is using public funds for profit still remains an issue.
“They received their funding from Alberta Health Services and they’re just allowed to do whatever they want,” added Rusznak. “There’s never been any strict rules around reporting back on what they’re doing with that funding.”
She explained if the provincial government could have a system of guidelines created, bargaining would not be so difficult between employers and the union.
Both sides will be finalizing the terms of the agreement over the next couple of days, and employees will vote on the new deal early next week.
Global News reached out to Chantelle Management for comment, but did not hear back before publication.
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